Saturday: Two Great Free CBGB Fest Shows (and Maybe Record Temps)

The two free CBGB Festival concerts on Saturday should be great, presuming you can tolerate what might be record-high temperatures in NYC. The thermometer is expected to hit between 99 and 102 degrees, depending on which forecast you read, and the SummerStage venue in Central Park has no shade whatsoever. I'd guess there won't be much shade at the other free show, in Times Square, but there are supposed to be vendors there, which might provide a bit of relief from the sun.

Below are details on the two shows, taken from the CBGB Festival website (which often had limited info on events, such as mentioning the Times Square show without providing a link to any information on it.)

The set times for the Central Park show match what SummerStage sent out via Twitter Friday night, give or take five minutes. SummerStage says that doors for the show will open at 2 p.m., and the line to get in will form before then. It's hard to say how early you should get there to be guaranteed getting in, but I'd recommend checking SummerStage's Twitter feed on Saturday, which during regular SummerStage shows posts updates on how long the lines are to get in. (You can check the CBGB Twitter feed, but it doesn't seem to be updated as often.)

It's even harder to predict how things will play out at the Times Square concert, since it's not a regular venue but a large, blocked-off area of the streets. I can't remember any concert event of this size being held in Times Square.

Free CBGB Festival concert in Times Square, Noon to 6 p.m.
(Stages on Broadway at 46th St. & 51st St.)

• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
• The Hold Steady
• Duff McKagan's Loaded
• Superchunk
• Glint
• Upper West
• Zulu Wave

Free CBGB Festival concert in Central Park, 3 to 8 (?) p.m.
(Rumsey Playfield, center of park near 72nd St.)

• Guided By Voices - 6 p.m.
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - 4:45 p.m.
• The War on Drugs - 3:45 p.m.
• Cloud Nothings - 3 p.m.

Needless to say, the heat and humidity will keep some folks away, and cause others to stay a shorter time than they had planned. If you go, make sure to use plenty of sunscreen, keep hydrated (with water, not beer or other alcohol!), and stay safe.

If you're not up for being outdoors in the steambath, there are plenty of CBGB Festival events in the great indoors. (See schedule for times, links to tickets, etc.) Music events include:

• Soft White Sixties, The Young Things, Raccoon Fighters, and The Head at the Studio at Webster Hall
• D Generation, Romans, Brass Knuckle Evangelists, and The Bamboo Kids at the Bowery Electric (SOLD OUT to general public; first come, first served for pass holders)
• Mongrel Bitch, The Whores, A Devil's Broadcast, Brunch of the Living Dead, Drugstore, Bannor at Hank's Saloon

Movies on Saturday include a showing of the 1980 cult classic "Times Square" at 2 p.m. and Sid and Nancy at 7 p.m.,  among many others.

Yo La Tengo, The Sea & Cake Kick off Maxwell's Hanukkah Shows

Yo La Tengo kicked off its annual Eight Nights of Hanukkah run at Maxwell's with a rousing show on Tuesday, despite recent health concerns for frontman Ira Kaplan. As always, the night included a surprise opening act (on this night, Chicago's The Sea and Cake) as well as special guests joining YLT on stage.

(Apologies for the poor photo quality; the place was packed and I was stuck in the back of the room.) 
 

Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo, during the first night of the band's Hanukkah shows.

The Sea and Cake kicked things off at 8:30 with a one-hour set, followed by standup comedians Jon Benjamin and Jon Glaser, who pretended to be the sons (both named Dave) of actors Dennis Farina and Dennis Franz.

Yo La Tengo took the stage at 11 p.m., with Kaplan playing seated, as he mentioned he would be in his post on the band's website. (He mentioned that he "had a pretty serious health scare earlier this month," but doesn't delve into the nature of it in the post. And he didn't mention it at all on Tuesday.  The website does say that he is "well on the way to recovery.")

 

Georgia Hubley steps out from behind the drum kit to sing lead vocals.

 The trio was joined on stage by Mac McCaughan of Superchunk, who played the entire show with YLT. (Later in the set came guest appearances by several members of The Sea and Cake: Sam Prekop, Archer Prewitt, and John McEntire.) McCaughan in particular was great addition, adding continuity throughout the set, and he and the other guests help fill out the sound of Yo La Tengo's songs.

For a more detailed description of Tuesday's show (and some much better photos), see the official Yo La Tengo Hanukkah diary post by Liz Clayton.

Yo La Tengo left the stage shortly before 12:30, so it was an almost four-hour show (minus about an hour for changeovers between acts). Considering the quality of Yo La Tengo's concerts and the high caliber of guests they usually get, this show is definitely one I plan to catch at least one night of in future years.

Chicago's The Sea and Cake opened Tuesday's show.

Free Album Streaming: Airborne Toxic Event, Dengue Fever, Emmylou Harris, the Watson Twins, & More

Now streaming: "Cannibal Courtship," the latest album of Cambodian pop and psychedelic rock from Dengue Fever.

Here's the latest in my semi-regular listing of (a sampling of) the new or upcoming albums that are available for free preview. And a reissue of an old Superchunk album. For some reason, NPR Music hasn't listed the end dates for streaming, but since most of the CDs are coming out April 26, they may be only be available for preview until then.

I'm particularly interested in hearing the latest album from Dengue Fever, the band that combines Cambodian music with a 1960s feel. And the "Night Covers" EP from the Watson Twins, in which the Kentucky-native, L.A.-based identical twins offer renditions of songs by artists ranging from PJ Harvey to Bill Withers, Sade, and the Black Keys.

Which ones are you most interested in hearing?

KCRW Album Preview: 
"All At Once" by The Airborne Toxic Event
"whokill" by tUnE-yArDs (streaming until April 24)

NPR First Listen:
"Hard Bargain" by Emmylou Harris
"Thao And Mirah" by Thao And Mirah
"I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" by Steve Earle
"Dancer Equired" by Times New Viking

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Forever Today" by I'm From Barcelona
"Night Covers" by The Watson Twins
"Here's Where the Strings Come In" by Superchunk
"Belle Brigade" by Belle Brigade
"Cannibal Courtship" by Dengue Fever
"American Legacies" by The Del McCoury Band & The Preservation Hall Band

Free Concert Downloads & Streaming: Superchunk, Of Montreal, Robert Plant, Lost in the Trees

Above: Download or stream an hour-and-a-half concert by Superchunk (seen here playing in Brooklyn last year) free from NPR Music. Photo: duluoz cats

There are some good recent concerts you can now download or stream free at NPR Music. (Note: some shows that have been available for both may now be streaming-only.) Here are some of the more interesting ones available now:

* Superchunk live: The veteran rockers are back with a new album and tour after nearly a decade off. Runs about an hour and a half.

* The spectacle that is Of Montreal in concert: Too bad there's no video; their shows feature all kinds of bizarre costumes and sets. Runs about an hour and a half.

* Robert Plant and Band of Joy live: The former Led Zeppelin singer continues his Americana work with a band that includes, among others, the great singer-songwriters Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller. Runs 53 minutes.

* An abbreviated Lost in the Trees live set: The new North Carolina band brings its French horns, cello, tuba, and other instruments to play a 16-minute set in NPR's offices.